Bugatti Type 53

The 5.0 L (4972 cc/303 in³) engine from the BugattiType 50 road car was fitted to the chassis of the Type 51 racer to create the 1931 Type 53. This model was historically significant in that it used four wheel drive. The Type 53 was one of the first racing cars to attempt to drive all four wheels, though Ettore Bugatti himself had designed multi-engine all wheel drive vehicles early in his career. It was originally conceived by Giulio Cappa, who created a front wheel drive Grand Prix car in 1926. Cappa's associate, Antonio Pichetto, handled the development of the car while working at Bugatti.

The Type 53 is said to have not used universal joints, and steering difficulty was legendary. Jean Bugatti even crashed a Type 53 at Shelsley Walsh in June, 1932. Modern tests, however, have shown the car to be quite tractable at speed, and Bugatti's drawings for the Type 53 do show "Tracta" u-joints fitted in front.